From ugly high spoilers to fan cars, which F1 technology would you guys like to see a return of? I highly rate the Brabham "Fan Car" in terms of it's capabilities and it showed ground effects to it's full potential.

Which F1 technology would you like to see return? Or maybe a change in Formula? Weight spec, Engine spec, aero spec etc?

Ground effects. Thats what that old Lotus car excelled at if I remember correctly...right ? One which had side skirts to hide whats underneath ?

The side skirts weren't to hide the design of the underside of the car, they were part of the ground effects package in that they kept the air under the car flowing to the back instead of escaping out the sides.

Forced open radio - so everyone can hear everyone elses radio. That way you can drive up behind someone and do the Jaws sound as you approach. "duuurrn duurn.....duuurnn durrnn... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3J0SWZWPCA

Oh and more flexibility on the chassis. Not too much, but more than we have now.

I'd love a bit more variety in the chassis design as well. I get this would probably lead to a massive cost-hike but it would be cool.

I also really do think that KERS should be unrestricted. If a team can harvest 600kJ per lap, they should be able to use that. The 400kJ limit is odd. It should also be output in any way they keem fit. So you can have variable power output, or at least each car can decide if they want it released at 400kW or a slower rate but for a longer time.

With that, I'd like them to also make KERS only charged on track. So you don't go out for the opening lap with a full battery pack, but you can charge it on the parade lap or way to the grid.

I'd love a bit more variety in the chassis design as well. I get this would probably lead to a massive cost-hike but it would be cool.

I also really do think that KERS should be unrestricted. If a team can harvest 600kJ per lap, they should be able to use that. The 400kJ limit is odd. It should also be output in any way they keem fit. So you can have variable power output, or at least each car can decide if they want it released at 400kW or a slower rate but for a longer time.

With that, I'd like them to also make KERS only charged on track. So you don't go out for the opening lap with a full battery pack, but you can charge it on the parade lap or way to the grid.

I kinda like your ideas there, KERS could be a much more intuitive tool.

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Ground effect and smaller wings. As I understand GE is pretty much unaffected by turbulence when following another car, meaning drivers could follow much closer through the corners and lead to much better overtaking without the need for 'artificial' DRS.

Unlimited KERS and DRS - Assuming the above does indeed make overtaking much easier and DRS isn't needed for that so much. Would lead to better development of batteries and electric motors which could be applicable to road vehicles.

Maybe it's not commonly considered a "technology", but fully-manual shifting. A clutch pedal and an H-gate, and they have to take their hand off the wheel to shift. That also means they have 3 pedals to manage with 2 feet.

Let them have silly winglets, come up with new ideas...if they'd restricted things 40 years ago the way we do now we wouldn't have even been allowed rear wings!

As long as it passes the safety tests, let em have it - Flexible wings, ground effect, triple-DRS...

F1 has always been as much of a race between engineers and drivers, it's getting far too close to a spec series for my liking these days!

Completely agree! As long as its safe, it should be allowed.

I think the reason we saw so many restrictions come in was due to some teams going way over te top with it.

Thing is, they were only going over the top in terms of testing etc. With testing restricted there's no need to have such tight rules. So what if Adrian Newey comes up with a system that makes the RB 5 seconds a lap faster, if it's through innovation then well done them. If you have tight rules then people will bend them, which will lead to sniping and infighting...reduce the number of regulations and people will still bend the rules, but there won't be the same illusion that everyone's cars are supposed to be the same.

Ground effects. Thats what that old Lotus car excelled at if I remember correctly...right ? One which had side skirts to hide whats underneath ?

The side skirts weren't to hide the design of the underside of the car, they were part of the ground effects package in that they kept the air under the car flowing to the back instead of escaping out the sides.

I'd be intrigued to see ground effects back, but isn't part of the reason they were banned because the high g-forces the cars were creating was causing drivers to pass out and things? Something Lotus tried to account for with their double chassis. Drivers are a lot fitter now, so presumably better prepared to cope with the physical stresses involved.

I think what was knackering the drivers up was the fact that, because the skirts had to be fixed, teams were running the cars with no suspension to maintain the seal with the track so they had to put up with a huge amount of vibration. If they reallowed flexible skirts then there wouldn't be as much of an issue.

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I'd be intrigued to see ground effects back, but isn't part of the reason they were banned because the high g-forces the cars were creating was causing drivers to pass out and things? Something Lotus tried to account for with their double chassis. Drivers are a lot fitter now, so presumably better prepared to cope with the physical stresses involved.

I believe that the reason was that the cars were getting too fast for the circuits that they were being run on. Cars were going faster through the corners with no run-off and tires that weren't designed for the lateral loads were cause for concern.

One of the problems is with the side skirts. As in if the side skirt gets damaged/broken coming out of a corner into a straight, there won't be the downforce the driver is expecting going into the next corner.

DanF posted a great write up on the ground effects thread earlier today that you should read, some good info in it.

Everyone going on about relaxed aero rules, the thing is that, if they were to relax them teams will create such cars that would be glues to the road in that manner mechanical grip will not be as important, spring suspension rate, ride height camber. The FIA know exactly what they are dealing with, in 2007 we saw a bit of relaxed aero rules evidently McLaren and Ferrari too advantage, with their respected cars illustrating to us. Aero still plays a very big part in today's Formula 1 relative to the old cars from the 80's and early 90's.

Another point to consider would be the more aero the more speed you can carry through fast corners, as it is through fast corners our modern formula one ladies dish out 5 G's to the pilot... More aero would mean even greater g- forces, it could come to a point where the health and safety bell is rang.

My view on DRS is still the same, even with all this over taking, we do not need DRS! I mean come on it's taking driver skill out the equation. KERS I cant cope with. However, IMPO, DRS should have been banned for this season. Teams are already taking advantage of a tripple system where ait is channelled from the rear wing to the the front spoiler. Surely, they can come up with an un-ainded way to do this on straights?

I believe that the reason was that the cars were getting too fast for the circuits that they were being run on. Cars were going faster through the corners with no run-off and tires that weren't designed for the lateral loads were cause for concern.

One of the problems is with the side skirts. As in if the side skirt gets damaged/broken coming out of a corner into a straight, there won't be the downforce the driver is expecting going into the next corner.

Also, when downforce comes from suction, there's an equal force trying to pull the asphalt up, and when that happens over the same spot 3000 times per race weekend, with thousands of pounds of suction each time, how long before that asphalt starts coming up?